What to know about Scott McAfee, the judge handling Trump's Georgia election case
As part of the case, the judge is overseeing DA Fani Willis' misconduct hearing.
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's Georgia election interference case, Scott McAfee, is one of the newest judges on the Superior Court of Fulton County.
Appointed to the bench by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and sworn in on Feb. 1, 2023, McAfee previously served as the Georgia inspector general, where he was tasked with overseeing fraud and corruption within Georgia's executive branch.
"Scott McAfee is a strong addition to my administration," Kemp said in the statement in 2021 about McAfee's appointment. "His experience as a tough prosecutor equips him to search out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, and bring those to justice who break the law."
Across his ten-year career as a lawyer before being appointed to the bench, McAfee spent all but six months in public service, notably working for three and a half years with the Fulton County district attorney's office. He also worked as a federal prosecutor in Georgia and as an assistant district attorney in Barrow County, Georgia.
Despite his brief tenure, McAfee has made at least one significant ruling about how he might approach the public statements made by Trump in the lead-up to trial.
In June 2023, McAfee fined pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood $5,000 for contempt of court after Wood violated an order against insulting his former legal associates.
"I can't overlook the protracted and flagrant nature of the violation," McAfee said of Wood's disparaging comments, threatening to fine him $15,000 for future violations.
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McAfee graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in 2013 and from Emory University in 2010.
A father of two, McAfee has also served as a volunteer scuba diver at the Georgia Aquarium. He studied music as a cellist and is an Eagle Scout.
This story was first published in August 2023 and has been updated. ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman contributed to the story.
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